They fought bravely, they were the better side for the majority of the game, but ultimately Canada came up short in their World Cup opener against Belgium. A 1-0 scoreline and a Michy Batshuayi goal seems fairly routine, but it was anything but for Roberto Martinez’s side, who were pushed all the way but a relentlessly energetic outfit.
Kevin De Bruyne was off colour, and in their first World Cup since 1986, Canada missed out on a chance to land a major shock of their own, after wins from Saudi Arabia and Japan already.
John Herdman, the first manager to manage at a Men’s and Women’s World Cup, has worked wonders with this Canadian side but it could, and should have been a whole lot more.
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Early on, Yannick Carrasco stuck his hand out in the box and blocked a shot and the referee gave a penalty after consulting VAR. But Alphonso Davies couldn’t take advantage and Thibaut Courtois did amazingly to get down and stop a weak penalty. It was a golden opportunity after a bright start for Canada but they kept on coming.
They were running Belgium ragged and their ageing defence simply couldn’t cope with the energy they provided. If their decision making had been better in the final third they would have created major chances, instead of the half ones they did manage.
Canada were also unlucky as they were denied one penalty shout after a strange offside decision, before VAR stuck with the on-field referee’s decision of no penalty when Richie Laryea went down under Axel Witsel’s challenge.
Then, just before the break, completely against the run of play, Belgium went ahead. One direct long ball from the ball from Toby Alderweireld was chased by Michy Batshuayi and he found the finish with his left foot. It was brutal. It was efficient. It was undeserved.
Tajon Buchanan, arguably Canada’s brightest player on the night, blazed one over the bar after another wonderful move but they went into the break 1-0 down after dominating the entire half.
The second half was one of more end to end play and several last ditch Canadian tackles, and as they tried to press forward they became sloppy at the back. Their dominance could not be converted into a goal, no matter how hard they tried, they just couldn’t score their first World Cup goal. Herdman’s side even managed more shots (22 to 17) and more touches in the area than Spain did in their 7-0 win over Costa Rica.
It all ended with a heartbreaking 1-0 defeat, when they deserved so much more. But ultimately, they didn’t have the quality in the final third to make the breakthrough. When you look back to that missed penalty early on, as well as the other heap of chances they created, it really is a case of what could have been.
They’ll be back in action against Croatia and based on this showing, could make a real fist of getting out of thies group. For Belgium, they will move on with a very fortunate three points on the board. Martinez’s men can’t possibly play worse than this, but as they move into the knockout stages, they’ll need to show more energy to get anywhere.
